The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-27
A PLAGUE OF ROSE BUGS.
The Peach Crop, Which Promised
Well, Nearly All Destroyed.
Frona az NelpI York Su1


From the Netc York Sun.
WILMINGTON, DEL, June M.-When the
convention of the peach growers and dealers
was held at Dover, May IL, the whole talk
was based upon yield of possibly 10000
600 baskets, and surely not less than 5000,
600 baskets, and it was confidently expected
that the phenomenal peach year" of 1875
would be far distanced. There was talk that
if free baskets were given with the peaches
the manufacturers could not turn out enough
to supply the demand. Preparations to pre-
vent gluts in the market were made, and a
plan of distribution and bureau of inforna-
tion was suggested and adopted. But the
situation is all changed now, and, instead
of a phenomenal year, it begins to look
as though the crop would be only one
fourth one. The growers are disheartened,
for not only are the peach prospects very
gloomy, but tue crops of grapes, pears,
plums, apples, currants, gooseberries, cher
ries, and, in fact, every growing thing, In
GLIDING vegetables, are blighted by an I'M
precedented plague of rose bugs. They
have attacked forest trees, the ivy, and al
most everything else they can get hold OF,
while the growing wheat is being ravaged
by a worm varying in length from half an
inch to an inch. 1t has a pair of claws
working like the arms of scissors, and with
them it cuts off the wheat heads, but makes
no attempt to feed upon them. This wheat
pest is said to be the larvae of the saw-iy,
but not known to damage wheat crops in
this country until within two years.
There are many kinds of bugs at work,
but it is the rose bug that has spread the
most devastation. The bugs gathered in
clusters on growing fruit and reduced it to
dry pulp. They collected on the leaves
and rfddled them full of holes. They ate
the roses before they were in bloom and
hourished on the green blackberry. Nothing
except smashing effected a cure, and they
increased and multiplied like office-seekers
after a change of administration. The male
bugs are of dirty yellow color and the
females shade darker. They have wings
and are about three-eighths of an inch in
length. Out of 5000 peach trees in three
orchards near FELTON,, Del, there win not
be picked enough fruit to pay for the pillow
ing. In one of the orchards there was not a
peach to be found, q day or two ago, that
had not been ruined.
For over two weeks rain has fallen every
day, creating favorable condition for the
propagation of the bugs On Thursday,
however the sun came out hot and strong,
and there was notable decrease in the
number of the pests. They do not seem to
like the sun. The reports received yester-
day and to-day are encouraging, although
the peach crop, as nearly all the growers on
the peninsula agree, will be only about one
fourth of what 1t promised in May.
The rose bug, unlike many other beetles,
does its work when in the completed state
They come in swarms, and disappear as sud
denly as they come. They remain from
thirty TO forty days. The males perish and
the females enter the earth, deposit about
thirty eggs, come to the surface, and die in a
few days. The eggs hatch in twenty fourdays
and the larvae feed on the tender roots
within their reach. In the fall they are
full size, three-quarters of an inch long and
one-eighth of an inch in diameter. In Octo-
Der they go into the ground to appear in
June full grown beetle, seven-twentieths
of an inch in length, and ready to begin the
work of destruction. When the rose bugs
attack the fruit they gather upon it in clus-
tiers, as many as twenty-five having beer
found upon one green peach the size of q
hickory nut. In most cases the whole side
of peach, apple or pear is eaten off to the
stone or core, although in many instances
the fruit is SO eaten away as to be almost in.
distinguishable.